


Cry in the Dark

by latelyllama



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Confused Avengers, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parent Tony Stark, Protective Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-24
Updated: 2018-12-02
Packaged: 2019-08-28 17:46:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16728054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/latelyllama/pseuds/latelyllama
Summary: Tony never told anyone about his son. Why would he when he was the media's favourite playboy, and why would he want to relive losing him with every camera flash? Of course he kept it to himself, until years later he finds him again in a HYDRA base full of dead bodies. The boy he finds is not the boy he lost. The road ahead is challenging, but one that Tony feels he needs travel down. For himself, and his son.





	1. Chapter 1

“You guys seeing lots of dead people” Clint said over the coms.

“Yeah” Steve said.

“Plenty down here” Rhodey added.

“FRIDAY?” Tony asked, getting slightly impatient with the AI.

She hadn’t been especially helpful on this mission.

“I’m trying Boss, but something kept scrambling the security feeds and completely blew out the internal communications. I’m almost there reconstructing things enough to piece together where the attack started.”

“Keep me posted.”

Tony and Rhodey continued through the labs. It was just like everywhere else, complete chaos. He couldn’t see it through the faceplate, but he was sure Rhodey was looking uneasy. He was too. It was supposed to be a simple mission. After sifting through the combined intelligence from all of their previous raids, they’d managed to piece together a location for a secret HYDRA base they’d missed. This place had been so confidential that until they’d found it, they couldn’t have been sure it existed. HYDRA must have had a reason for the secrecy, HYDRA always had reasons, and so they’d approached cautiously. Or at least they would have, had the alarms not already been blaring since before they were anywhere near them. Upon entering, the bodies littering the place only led to one conclusion. This base had been attacked by something, and whatever it was could still be there.

“Boss, up ahead. That’s where the attack started.”

Up ahead was a door. Like they’d seen elsewhere, it was blown out from whatever room lay beyond. Cautiously, Tony took point, leading the way inside. It looked like at one point it may have been another lab, but everything was a mess. A chair was smashed against the back wall, like it had been thrown there. There were four dead guards, two with knife wounds and two bleeding from the ears. The door to the lab seemed more reinforced than the others, yet it was broken open all the same.

“No sign of entry” Rhodey said.

Tony looked again. If the attack started here, how did the attacker get in? Unless it was an inside job, but then why would they start here of all places?

“Got something” Clint said, “Natasha converge on my location.”

“What’s going on?” Steve asked.

“Kid, covered in blood. He might have seen something.”

“Everyone standby” Steve said.

Tony continued searching the strewn up lab when he heard a grunt over the coms.

“Target engaged” was all that was said.

Tony and Rhodey both stopped, waiting. Clint could handle himself in a fight, but everything here was unknown.

“Shit, how’d he do that?”

He heard more grunts. With a final look to Rhodey, they hurried back through the corridors of the below ground labs, following Cap’s plan to regroup in case of trouble.

“He caught my arrow!”

“Watch out!” Natasha said.

“I’m a floor above, hold tight” Steve said.

Tony and Rhodey ran faster. The corridors were too tight to use their thrusters effectively, but Tony didn’t bother with closed doors, taking a leaf out of whoever did this and just blasting them down.

“Back up’s coming” Rhodey said.

They reached the ground floor. Clint and Natasha were somewhere two floors up. FRIDAY highlighted a path to them on his HUD.

“Who the hell is this kid?” Natasha said.

Then they heard it. A loud, piercing cry echoing through the corridors. Tony didn’t need FRIDAY to tell him that the coms were temporarily scrambled. He heard the feedback through his own ears and honestly it kind of hurt. Coms were cut as another cry was heard, drowning out several gunshots. They burst through a door. Tony only got the briefest of glimpses before lots of things happened one after the other. Steve was woozy on the ground, cradling his ears. Natasha lay on the floor on the other side of the room to them, shaking on her hands and knees as through trying to regain composure. The attacker swiped Clint across the face with something and he fell to the ground. At the sound of the door bursting open, the attacker pivoted, dropping to a knee and raising the object, a gun, up. In an instant, he’d pulled the trigger and Tony felt the impact on his neck. Thank god for his armour. The bullet only stopped him in his tracks, letting him get a better look at the shooter. He was a teenage boy. He didn’t lower the gun, eyeing the suit curiously and studiously. If Tony had to guess, he would say the boy was looking for weaknesses. Tony took the opportunity of the brief pause in action.

“You know that won’t work, so why don’t you put it down and we can talk like civilised people” he said.

“Tony, don’t” Natasha said.

Tony was sure he saw the boy tighten his grip on the gun at the sound of his name.

“FRIDAY, who is this kid?” he subtly asked as he took a step forward.

Rhodey also stepped forward, charging his repulsors but not firing. The boy spared him only a brief glance before turning back to Tony. A small window in his HUD showed the boy’s face, tiny points dancing all over it as the AI’s software ran. Natasha slowly got to her feet, but Tony held a hand to stop her from doing anything.

“That’s quite a lot of blood. The labs downstairs are in a particularly sorry state, I’m guessing that all of this” he said, gesturing to the building around them, “was your doing.”

It wasn’t just the blood though. The way he was holding the gun felt entirely too natural, that and he was the only living thing any of them had encountered in this base. Steve regained his composure, no longer clutching his ears. He stayed crouched on the ground, waiting for the inevitable to drop.

“We’re not here to hurt you. We were actually here to stop HYDRA, the people who ran this base” Tony said, hoping to keep his voice calm so as not to break the tension of the room, “this all started in a lab downstairs. Did they hurt you?”

The boy didn’t say anything, keeping his eyes and gun trained squarely on Tony. Tony would have been a fool though to think that the boy’s focus was solely on him though.

“Boss, I got a match” FRIDAY said.

The AI almost sounded hesitant. When did she start hesitating to tell him anything he asked of her?

“And?”

“You’re not gonna believe it.”

A name flashed on his screen and his heart stopped. He looked closer at the boy, really properly looked. Admittedly, the last time he’d seen those loose waves and piercing blue eyes had been well over seven years ago, but if he squinted he could see it, but couldn’t be, but it was.

“I cross checked with the data in HYDRA’s systems. There’s no doubt. It’s him.”

Tony lowered his arms.

“Open the suit” Tony ordered.

“That wouldn’t be wise.”

“I said open the suit!”

The suit peeled open, to the protests of his teammates but he didn’t care, and he stepped out. There was a certain vulnerability he felt, but every other instinct told him he’d be fine. The boy stood up properly but didn’t lower the gun. Tony saw a flash of disbelief cross his face briefly, to be replaced with a steely determination.

“Will?” Tony said.

The boy shook his head, not as though he was answering the question. Tony heard Rhodey make a noise, but he had eyes only ahead of him.

“Will Patton, born January 13th 2002, went missing April 30th 2007, and my son.”

The boy’s breath hitched slightly as he re-adjusted his grip on the gun.

“No. I’m not falling for this again” he said.

His breathing was becoming more ragged, the determination on his face faltering with every step that Tony took towards him. Steve slowly got to his feet. Both he and Natasha were watching the boy like a hawk, waiting for everything to go pear shaped.

“I’ll do it!” Will shouted.

Tony didn’t back down. He could see the gun shaking.

“You won’t hurt me” Tony said softly.

Will took a small step backwards. He still had the look of steel, but a tiny tear just about leaked out.

“I’ll shoot you” he said, not quite as forcefully.

The boy was breaking down before their eyes. Tony was close enough now so he reached out, pushing the gun down. Will didn’t resist and the gun clattered to the floor as it slipped from his grip.

“No you won’t” Tony said, reaching out to pull his son into a hug.

Will reacted quickly, too fast for Tony to do anything. Determination or anger, whatever it was blazed in his eyes for a brief moment as he grabbed Tony’s face. Tony felt the scratch of his nails and the slick of blood from his hand as Will kicked him hard in the gut, pushing him backwards. Steve and Natasha made to move forward but Tony held a hand out to stop them. Will was looking at him like he was only just seeing him for the first time. His ragged breathing was coming quickly now, his eyes wide with realisation. Then whatever determination, whatever resolve, had briefly flared with in him vanished and he let out the first sob. He dropped to his knees, staring at the blood on his hands. Tony edged closer to him as Will curled up, sobbing hard. The rest of team watched but whatever questions they might have had were gladly left unasked. Not that Tony would have answered them anyway. Slowly, carefully, he pulled Will to him, trying not to notice how the boy completely tensed up at the touch. For the first time in years, Tony was able to hug the son he’d thought he’d lost forever.


	2. Chapter 2

Jealousy was not an emotion that Tony Stark was expecting to feel right now. He should be feeling happiness, joy, and a huge streak of overprotectiveness. He felt those things to be sure, of course he did, but why did he still feel jealous? He knew why. After he’d cried himself out, it had been fairly easy to guide Will out of the HYDRA base. He’d gone where he was led and didn’t really pay attention to all the mess they passed along the way. As they’d sat together in the Quinjet, the part of Tony’s brain that lived in the corny dramas he used to watch with Jarvis expected things to be one way. He expected heartfelt confessions, with father and son comforting one another after all these years. It hadn’t gone like that, not at all. Will had barely looked at him. He’d looked down at the hands in his lap, with the now dry blood on them. He’d tensed at any contact and despite Tony’s best efforts, he hadn’t said a word. The others talked amongst themselves, quietly, away from the pair. Rhodey explained on Tony’s behalf, which he was very thankful for. Honestly, he had no idea whether he could even go about explaining anything. It was too painful to have his son back but at the same time not really have him back, if the cold shoulder he was receiving was anything to go by. It’s not as if Tony had been dad of the year or anything, but he had cared goddammit, and it didn’t mean it hurt any less to lose him.

_What do you mean he’s missing?_

Dr Cho had been waiting for their arrival. He could easily trust her to secrecy, but it didn’t stop him from scanning over everything they walked passed, looking for a curious face or a camera out of place. But there was nothing. Will went where he was led, just like at the base, but Tony couldn’t help but notice he walked slightly slower here than there. If the look on Natasha’s face meant anything then she’d noticed it too. In a fit of petulance, maybe, he’d not wanted anyone else but Rhodey in the room while Cho examined Will. They understood, or at least said they did. Quite frankly, he was glad there weren’t so many witnesses. The medical exam was an experience unto itself. Cho was delicate, careful in her examination, only to find that most of the blood on Will wasn’t his. That was a comforting thought. Cho treated the few injuries he did have, mostly cuts and bruises, but then came the details of the old ones, broken bones, burns, scars that made Tony want to vomit even now. Will gave Cho short, direct answers to her questions, still not looking at Tony, even though he was right in front of him, hovering behind Cho. That was when the jealousy started. Why would he talk to her and not him? Then the exam was over, and Cho told Will to go and get cleaned up. He sorely needed it. Tony rushed forward, ready to offer any help needed. Will had finally looked him in the eye. There was no warmth there; it was buried too deeply under something, something that Tony couldn’t quite place.

“Here, I’ll show you how they work” Rhodey offered, “you know what your dad’s like. Even the showers can do a million different things.”

Will didn’t resist Rhodey taking him to the med bay bathroom, and didn’t that kick the jealousy into overdrive. Why would he go with Rhodey but not him? Why didn’t Will seem to want anything to do with him? Did he not care about him? Did he not care that Tony cared? Had he not cried when he saw Tony but a few hours ago?

No, stop Tony. Think.

Tony took a deep breath, agreeing with himself. Thinking like this would do no-one any good. He sat just outside the bathroom, listening to the shower running. Rhodey was still in there, making sure Will was alright and helping where needed. Every now and again, he poked his head out, giving Tony updates, but he suspected that Rhodey also wanted to keep tabs on him. No, he needed to think things through. Tony had exactly two role models when it came to how to be a dad, Howard Stark and Edwin Jarvis. Howard would have been furious with Will, he would have stormed and raged and demanded to know what was going on his head, probably topping it off with some expensive whiskey. A few times since Afghanistan had Tony thought about himself as a father like Howard, and every single time ended with the determination that he wouldn’t. He would be more like Jarvis. Jarvis would have been patient, he’d have considered everything that had happened, and he’d have talked to the boy. Tony could do that, right? So he did. He thought back to the base, when his son had levelled a gun at him. Will had cried yes, but that had only been the end of it. There’d been a whole interaction before that.

_I’m not falling for this again._

Remembering the words, and the anger which had laced them, sent chills down his spine. What had HYDRA done to him? Probably turned him against him, his own son! That seemed like something HYDRA would do. Well, if he could be turned, he could be turned back again, Tony was sure of it. The shower shut off, removing the background noise and snapping Tony back to reality. Rhodey stuck his head out of the bathroom door.

“Just a little more, he’s just getting dressed.”

“That took a while” Tony commented.

“Yeah well” Rhodey said, clearly uncomfortable, “there was a lot to clean.”

With that, the door closed again. A few moments later, Rhodey stepped out, followed closely by Will. He was dressed in very simple clothes as there hadn’t been much time to get them. A simple white long sleeved t-shirt and grey sweatpants was all it was, but between that and the shower, Will looked completely different. He looked like the teen Tony imagined he’d grow into, though in those fantasies he’d always been smiling. Will fiddled with the cuffs slightly, still not looking at Tony. But Tony had figured out what it was that he’d seen. It was trust, or rather a lack of it.

“I’ll leave you two to get reacquainted” Rhodey said, and Tony had half a mind to ask him to stay.

But he didn’t, and he was left alone with his son. If Will found the silence uncomfortable, he didn’t show it. Tony tried several times to start speaking, but the words always seemed to fail him. Why was it so easy to smooth talk his way around bureaucrats and politicians but not a teenager? Because he’s not just a teenager, dumbo! Why did his own internal voice have to be so harsh? Tony found himself fiddling with the sleeves of his blazer and mentally kicked himself. Get it together Tony!

“I’ll show you to your room” he said.

He’d aimed for a warm, gentle voice but it came out more like a bellboy. Will said nothing, merely nodded. Tony led the way, through the corridors of the compound. The living quarters were laid out next to each other, in something of U shape, with the two ends connected by the lounge and kitchen. He could hear the sounds of conversation floating back from the lounge and he was thankful they weren’t going anywhere near it. Tony’s quarters were tucked slightly out of the way from the others; because of course he’d wanted some privacy. The room that was now Will’s room had once been Pepper’s. She didn’t need it anymore, and Tony wanted to keep his son as close as possible now that he had him back. The room itself was spacious, lightly furnished, bare but comfortable. Tony stood awkwardly as Will paced around the room, taking in every inch. He ran his fingers over the soft fabric of the bed.

“Will?” he choked out.

It was all he could manage. Will froze at the sound of his name, but didn’t turn around to face Tony. There was that jealousy again. Why had he seemed more comfortable with Rhodey than with him?

“I just…” Tony tried to say, but the words kept catching in his throat.

I want you to know you’re safe. I want you know HYDRA won’t come after you. I want you to know I’m here. There, see, simple enough sentences, so why were they so god damn difficult to say? Because you’ve wanted to say something like that to him for years, but you buried it under layers and layers of alcohol and impulsive behaviour.

“I’ll go see how dinner’s coming along” Tony said, before he turned and left the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for reading.
> 
> Please feel free to leave any feedback you might have. I'd love to hear it.
> 
> I have a rough idea of events that will happen, but if anyone has any suggestion for things they'd be interested in seeing, please let me know and I'll see what I can do.

**Author's Note:**

> An idea that's been bouncing around my head for a little while so I thought I'd put pen to paper as it were. So far there is only one chapter. I may end up adding more but I'll add more chapters as needed to it always appears complete.
> 
> I welcome any and all feedback people might have.


End file.
